The current method of making crankshaft bearing caps involves casting several caps (typically five) as an integral piece called a "monoblock". The monoblock passes through a broaching machine which rough machines the half-round joint faces and lock width pads. The ends of the monoblock and a "V" locating notch (for manufacturing purposes) are then milled. The various bearing cap holes are then drilled, whereupon the monoblock is sawed apart to produce a plurality (typically five) of bearing caps which have the finish width dimension.
The lock width of the bearing caps is then broached, and the individual bearing caps are spread apart.
The apparatus of the present invention, in accordance with one embodiment, is adapted to rotate the plurality of bearing caps through 90.degree. into a "side faces down" position.
Subsequent to the rotation of the bearing caps, the bearing cap holes are finish reamed, and the lock notches are milled.
The foregoing steps produce finished parts, and each part is ready to be bolted to an engine block.
A crankshaft bearing cap of the kind under discussion has three critical locating surfaces, each perpendicular to the other two, and all of the them intersecting at one comer. The apparatus disclosed herein is adapted to rotate the bearing cap (or several at a time) about the line of intersection of two of these planes, while retaining the third surface in its own plane. The third surface just mentioned is the joint face between the bearing cap and the cylinder block to which it is affixed.
There are several advantages arising from the rotation of the thrust face of the bearing cap from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane. For example, with the thrust face now parallel to the plane of the floor, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the location of the bolt holes with respect to this thrust face. Moreover, this position of the bearing cap also lends itself to maintaining the improved accuracy for a longer period of time, thus resulting in an improvement in part quality and reduced scrappage.